Gene Expression, Duplicated Genes, and Sex Bias in Drosophila

描述（由申请人提供）： 许多表型在生物体的基因组中编码，并且这些表型表达的第一步是将基因转录成RNA。从本质上讲，生物体的表型是由特定细胞类型中特定基因的转录形成的，在发育的特定点，以及在特定性别中。将基因表达与来自多个物种的基因组序列耦合允许对转录调控的进化动力学进行高分辨率检查。高质量的基因表达数据将从三个体细胞组织和四种果蝇的雄性和雌性的性腺中收集，以测试关于基因表达进化的假设。这些数据将用于确定单个基因表达的可塑性或保守性。此外，将检查重复基因的表达谱，以确定重复后基因表达如何分配以及重复基因获得新功能的频率。最后，将比较X染色体上的基因和常染色体上的基因，以确定是什么原因导致这两类染色体之间的性别偏见差异。相关性：虽然许多遗传疾病是由破坏基因产物正常功能的突变引起的，但许多其他遗传疾病是由基因未正确表达引起的。拟议的研究将解决几个主要因素，负责确定基因如何表达使用果蝇模型系统。这些因素将在全基因组范围内进行分析，以研究发现基因的基因组背景如何影响该基因在整个生物体中的表达。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many phenotypes are encoded in the genome of an organism, and the first step in the expression of these phenotypes is the transcription of a gene into RNA. Essentially, the phenotype of the organism is shaped by the transcription of specific genes in specific cell types, at specific points in development, and in a specific sex. Coupling gene expression with genome sequences from multiple species allows for a high resolution examination of the evolutionary dynamics of the regulation of transcription. High quality gene expression data will be collected from three somatic tissues and the gonads of males and females of four species of Drosophila to test hypotheses regarding the evolution of gene expression. These data will be used to determine the plasticity or conservation of gene expression for individual genes. Additionally, the expression profiles of duplicated genes will be examined to determine how gene expression is partitioned following duplication and how often duplicated genes obtain new functions. Finally, comparisons will be made between genes on X chromosomes and those on autosomes to determine what causes the differences in sex-bias between these two classes of chromosomes. Relevance: While many genetic diseases are caused by mutations that disrupt the proper functioning of a gene product, many others are caused by a gene not being expressed properly. The proposed research will address a few of the major factors responsible for determining how genes are expressed using the Drosophila model system. These factors will be analyzed on a genome-wide scale to study how the genomic context in which a gene is found affects how that gene is expressed throughout the organism.